Saturday, April 12, 2014

Many bands and artists have inspired and shaped me. My musical influences are numerous. But there is only one band that influenced my live performances. The Replacements.
I bought my first Placemats album at Appletree Records in Elgin, IL right around '82. The 'Sorry, Ma' record. Greatest album title ever? I was a power pop guy at the time. It sunk into the archives. Too hardcore.
But I didn't quit them. Hootenanny was interesting. Purchased and absorbed. Closer to what I liked.
And then … Let It Be. Hooked.
Happy to report that I witnessed at least two Bob shows. Maybe three. I liked the albums, but the live bootlegs I began collecting were a revelation. You can do anything on stage! Good, bad, indifferent. To paraphrase Paul, "We just wanted a reaction. We wanted to be the best band you ever saw or the worst band you ever saw." I was all in. I never wanted to do the same show twice. As a performer, spontaneity was paramount. For better or worse. If I'm not feeling it, why would the audience enjoy it?
OK. Let's wrap this up. Placemats released a song called, 'Nowhere Is My Home' on the Boink album, which was a trade between TwinToine and Glass. TwinTone got Jazz Butcher, which is a really great record.
The one never before released song on the Glass comp was Nowhere Is My Home. They played that same song live last night at Coachella. I rewrote that song 25 years ago. Never did get a proper recording of it. But here is a demo version. I'm playing the drums. Poorly. Wish I could remember who the background choir was.